Obituaries

Obituaries are updated and archived on JNonline.us .

Businessman, Hockey Player

erry

Gudes, 54, of West
Bloomfield and Charlevoix, co-
owner of Redford-based Metro
Bolt & Fastener Co., died Feb. 21, 2009.
In the 1980s, he helped create the AAJHL
— the Almost All Jewish Hockey League.
Gerald Hersh Gudes was born in
Detroit in 1954. He was the fourth
child of Adele and Dr. David Gudes,
but their first son. He graduated from
Birmingham Seaholm High School and
went on to Northern Michigan University
in Marquette.
Jerry became a CPA as he was always
good with numbers and always had a
good head for business. His career began
as an auditor for Price Waterhouse. One
of his larger clients was Means Stamping,
a steel company in Saginaw. He always
enjoyed going up to Saginaw to the steel
warehouse where he would count steel
with the workers. Means Stamping real-
ized how talented Jerry was and hired
him as its controller.
Not long after that, Steve Chapman,
who was the steel buyer for Means,

j

was interested in acquiring a company.
He located Metro Bolt & Fastener Co.
and told Jerry about it. Jerry was ready
to leave Means and told
Chapman to include him
in the deal. In December
1985, the two bought Metro
Bolt, then in Detroit. They
relocated to Redford. Jerry
thought he was getting a
business partner, but what
he actually got was a close
friend and confidant in
Chapman.
In the winter of 1981,
Jerry, together with his
Jerry Gudes
brother-in-law Gary Miller,
started a hockey league. The
first game was played on the frozen pond
behind Miller's West Bloomfield home.
The league, with all Jewish men except
for one player, quickly grew and moved
to several local hockey rinks including
the Detroit Skating Club. The league is
still in existence, playing each Sunday
morning. Jerry played in the league until

last November when he was diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer.
His nephew, Rabbi Jason Miller, eulo-
gized him as "a man who
valued his relationships in
life. He was a trusted friend,
business partner and family
man. Throughout his life,
he found himself in leader-
ship roles, and he excelled.
People listened to him and
followed him because they
genuinely trusted him."
Jerry was an avid boater,
snowboarder, snowmo-
biler and golfer who had
a second home on Lake
Charlevoix. His daughter,
Lindsey Gudes of Chicago, remarked,
"My father accomplished more in his 54
years than most people accomplish in a
hundred. And he had a whole lot of fun
doing it."
Jerry leaves behind a beloved wife of
almost 30 years, Cris Gudes, and two
children, Lindsey Gudes and Jeffrey

Gudes. He was the devoted son of Adele
Gudes and the late Dr. David Gudes;
cherished brother of Bobbie and Gary
Miller, Margery and David Schroeder,
and the late Sheila Schwartz; brother-
in-law of Ed Schwartz, Jan Camino and
Scott Camino; son-in-law of the late Al
and the late Elizabeth Camino. He was
the best uncle "Jer" to Rabbi Jason and
Elissa Miller, Jacob Miller, Michael and
Jessica Schwartz, Lisa Schwartz, Ben
Schroeder and Julia Schroeder; great-
uncle of Joshua, Jonah and Talya Miller.
Also survived by business partner and
friend Steve Chapman.
Funeral services were at Ira Kaufman
Chapel. Jerry's loving nephew Rabbi
Jason Miller officiated with Cantorial
Soloist Neil Michaels of Temple Israel.
Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial
Park. Donations may be made to the
Jerry Gudes Memorial Fund at the
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.
pancan.org) or (310) 725-0025.

Obituaries on page B34

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February 26 • 2009

B33

